My home for the last 13 years has been close proximity to Quantico Marine Base, and for years the lives of many in our area have been linked closely to the military in one way or another. Even those of us in non-military families feel the direct impact of the base and the facts of life that come along with it.

Just a few of the facts: since many families in the area have one or both adults employed by the military, people are always moving in and out of town; the young male population changes every few months as new groups of officers coming in for training at Marine Corpsí Basic School and then leave town a couple months later; barbershops in town specialize in crew cuts; and itís widely known that grocery shopping at the commissary on base is much cheaper than the Giant
grocery on the main road in town.

But higher food prices aside, thereís another fact of life that Iíve put up with for years, and that is that every time the base detonates something, tests a machineís blast capability or another productís ability to withstand that blast, my house shakes. Not a slight boom like the gentle roll of thunder, but a loud, menacing boom that can be felt in my stomach. For years Iíd tried to imagine how loud many of these blasts must be to the men and women detonating them within close range, and May 6-8, 2003, while attending the
Force Protection Equipment Demonstration
(FPED) IV, I had the opportunity to see firsthand why such blasts are necessary and how truly deafening they can be.

In the time Iíve been with Window
Film, much of what Iíve learned at conferences and seminars has been related to the automotive, architectural and sun-control sectors of the film industry. In the last
couple months, between the FPED and the Protecting People First Foundation Symposium on the hazards of flying glass
that took place in Oklahoma City the end of April, Iíve attempted to indoctrinate myself into the ever-growing sector of the window film industry involved in safety and security arenas.
With governmental, commercial and even residential builders and owners looking for a way to protect themselves as effectively and economically as possible, it seems to me that the prospects for growth in security films can only grow. While I think we would all hope that such products are never put into use, it seems naÔve to think only in terms of protection from sudden impact or natural disasters.

Either way, each time I go to any event, I really enjoy meeting so many of you. One of the best parts of learning about different film sectors is having the opportunity to meet different groups of applicators, dealers and manufacturerís division managers and representatives. This past monthís activities enabled me to put a variety of faces with a number of names, which is sometimes surprising, but also a good deal
of fun.

I hope you enjoy the issueís safety and security focus. If you have any ideas for future stories or articles e-mail me at
ktunney@glass.com or give me a call at 540/720-5584 ext. 124. Keep in touch.